In spite of May 30th being a holiday, which usually means comic books ship a day late, Wednesday June 1 is still new comics day. However, the books will be arriving in stores that day, so plan your weekly pickup for later in the day.

The Washington Post's Tom Toles Cartoon Caption Contest returns today. To enter, check out what Tom Toles sketched and post your suggested caption in the comments section by 11:59 pm ET June 6. Toles will read through all the entries and will plan to announce the winner the next evening. The prize is a print of that cartoon, signed by Toles and including the caption suggested by the winner.

Our very first Commando Challenge was a Smashing success. Our hand picked teams executed their mission in keeping with the highest traditions of our medium. We will be featuring a story a day for the entire week. First up is TEAM ZULU. RAFER "RAMBO" ROBERTS was a one man army on this mission...

*All sales subject to availability. Sales do not apply to recent arrivals except where noted. Sale prices not applicable to special orders, on hold items or subscriptions. Discounts may not be combined with any other sales or promotions. Certain exclusions apply, see individual stores for details.

Richard Thompson won the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award, named after legendary cartoonist Rube Goldberg, in Boston last night. Comic Riffs has the story and also points out that Gary Varvel who won the RFK Journalism Award for editorial cartooning here in DC, also won the NCS editorial cartooning division award.

In spite of May 30th being a holiday, which usually means comic books ship a day late, Wednesday June 1 is still new comics day. However, the books will be arriving in stores that day, so plan your weekly pickup for later in the day.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I'm falling behind on BCC's PR, but here's an announcement that should excite people

Baltimore Comic-Con Announces Stan "The Man" Lee as Guest of Honor!

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - May 26, 2011 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is proud to officially announce that Stan "The Man" Lee will be the Guest of Honor at this year's convention. The show will be taking place at the Baltimore Convention Center the weekend of August 20-21, 2011.

Known the world over as the architect of the Marvel Universe, Lee -- along with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko -- co-created some of the most iconic characters of the Silver Age, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Avengers, X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Daredevil, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange.

Lee began his career in comics in 1939 at the age of 16, working for Martin Goodman at Timely Comics. He made his writing debut in 1941 with a text filler story in Captain America Comics #3 and wrote his first back-up story for that title two issues later. Lee continued to write for the publisher and, at the age of 19, was installed as interim editor. With a head for business and an eye for comics, Lee graduated to become editor-in-chief and art director of the comics division.

Throughout his illustrious career, which has spanned more than 70 years, Lee has been a writer, editor, publisher, President, and Chairman at Marvel Comics. He's made cameo appearances in 14 films based on his creations and had a supporting role in Kevin Smith's 1995 film, Mallrats.

In 2010, Lee teamed up with Boom! Studios to create three original superheroes titles -- Soldier Zero, Starborn, and The Traveler -- for the publisher, and in January of 2011, he worked with the National Hockey League (NHL) on the Guardian Project, creating a "Guardian" character based on the team mascot for each of the 30 cities with NHL franchises.

"There is no bigger star in all of comics. This will thrill all comics fans on the East Coast," said Marc Nathan, show promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "Personally, I am so excited, I can't wait!"

Lee will be appearing at the Baltimore Comic-Con on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as attending the banquet for the Harvey Awards on Saturday evening. Details regarding ticket pricing for signings and VIP packages will be released over the next few weeks. To receive the latest information about Stan Lee and all of the Baltimore Comic-Con news, sign up for our mailing list at baltimorecomiccom.com!

In coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at ourwebsite, Twitter, Facebook, andMySpacepages.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, August 21st.

Contact Information

Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:

The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 12th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

About The Harvey AwardsThe Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 6 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.

Artist Richard Thompson's "Cul de Sac" is a daily watercolor comic strip in 140 newspapers. It centers on a young girl's experiences with her friends on a cul-de-sac. The Washington Post's Michael Cavna has written a profile on Thompson's career and struggles with Parkinson's disease. Host Michel Martin speaks with Cavna and Thompson about this latest article in the Washington Post Magazine.

A Mass celebration will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 25 at St. Matthew's Catholic church located at 8200 Robert E Lee Drive, Spotsylvania, VA with Father Augustine Tran officiating. Burial will follow in Laurel Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 24 at Covenant Funeral Service, 4801 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, VA.

We are pleased to announce that, as part of the continuing relationship between webcomics collective ACT-I-VATE (http:www.activatecomix.com) and MTV GEEK, Jim Dougan and Hyeondo Park's SAM & LILAH will be part of growing new comics lineup at the MTV site.

The first three chapters of S&L that have previously appeared on ACT-I-VATE will now also appear on MTV GEEK, with future installments to follow, likewise, on both sites.

You can read more about it, and even see video of Jim being interviewed at this year's MoCCA Festival, here:

Here's the deal: each week we will be asking a question, or asking you to tell us a story relevant to that week's Sam & Lilah update. The best response will get the writer our Weekly Prize: a signed print of a page from that week! Then, for each Chapter, we'll pick a winner to receive the Chapter Prize: a signed copy of the ACT-I-VATE PRIMER from IDW Publishing, which contains an exclusive Sam & Lilah story that will not appear on MTV Geek (or on ACT-I-VATE). Finally, we'll choose from among all the responses over 11 weeks to receive the Grand Prize of a page (our choice) of Hyeondo Park's original art!

How do I reply: you can post here on Tumblr, on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/samandlilah), Tweet us @samandlilah, link to a blog post, or e-mail us at samnlilah AT gmail DOT com. Extra points for audio/visual responses!

NOTE: To be eligible for a Weekly Prize, you need to have responded during the first week the update appeared. To be eligible for the Chapter Prize, you only need to have provided a response that we like to any of the questions during the time the Chapter first appeared (winners of the Weekly Prizes will be automatically included). Finally, to be eligible for the Grand Prize, you only need to have provided a response that we like to any of the questions during the time that all three Chapters appeared (winners of the Weekly and Chapter Prizes will be automatically included, though, so if you're a latecomer it better be good!.)

So in summary: 11 free prints, 3 signed books, 1 page of original art, and an unlimited amount of Jim and Hyeondo's good will and appreciation. Good luck!

Martha's got an excellent bibliography online now, that's of interest to me due to Harvey Pekar's Our Cancer Year, as well as my day job in a medical museum. I've presented a paper on comics and cancer, but haven't published it yet.

Local fantasy writer Annette Curtis Klause has a story in the new Welcome to Bordertown anthology. Annette is a Montgomery County librarian who works with their comics collection, and was a judge for this year's RFK Journalism Award for the editorial cartoon division. In this anthology, comics writers Dylan Meconis, Holly Black and Neil Gaiman appear.

Tonight Gary Varvel received the RFK Journalism Award for editorial cartoons at the new US Institute of Peace. As one of the judges, I went to the award and got to http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmeet him and chat briefly about his Path to Hope series that won him the award.

Forty authors will sign their books at the Nebula Awards Weekend, Friday, May 20, 2011 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Washington Hilton at 1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. located four blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro Station (use the Q Street exit).

The event is open to the public.

The books of the authors participating in the signing will be available to be purchased near the Nebula Awards Weekend registration area in the Terrace Foyer throughout the weekend. See below for the tentative hours of The Book Depot.

The people who have currently indicated they would like to participate in the book signing are:

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Y'know, I really am jealous of the Greeks – not because of the shape their economy's in, nor because of the corruption of their government and its servility to capital, nor because of the state-imposed "austerity" programs they struggle against. I'm jealous of the Greeks and other Europeans because they haven't forgotten how to fight in the streets – unlike US activists, for whom "direct action" these days means standing around, waving signs or holding candles in front of the White House in the dark.

Chris Claremont is attending the Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Awards weekend in Washington, DC and signing at the Washington Hilton, this Friday 5:30 to 7pm along with over 40 other sci-fi authors.

John Gallagher has sent in his comic strip promoting his Kickstarter project.

You have a chance to help publish an exciting new Graphic Novel Collection premiering in Baltimore!!! Via Kickstarter.Com-- The Comic Book Diner Project is a 3 book boxed set of graphic novels by Harvey Award nominees John Gallagher and Rich Faber, as well as Glyph and Yalsa nominee Jamar Nicholas. Featuring Buzzboy, Roboy Red, and Leon: Protector of the Playground, each book is 96 pages, full color, and part of a boxed set which will premiere in Baltimore at the Comic-Con that is truly about comics. Anyone ordering books through the funding program at Kickstarter will get signed books, sketches, and possibly original art-- some backers can even get DRAWN INTO A STORY! Anyone who decides to pick up the books at the Baltimore Comic-Con will get a one of a kind DVD with Jamar, Rich & John's Comic Book Diner podcast, as well as digital pdf's of the three books.

Jeff Rechin, brother of local cartoonist Kevin Rechin and son of Crock cartoonist Bill Rechin has an exhibit of his neat bird sculptures opening May 21st at the Byrne Gallery in Middleburg, VA. It looks really cool.

Jim Dougan writes in about the Sam & Lilah the webcomic he writes and Hyeondo Park draws (lovely) -

Sam & Lilah will be heading over to MTV Geek (http://www.mtv.com/geek/) for 11 weeks, starting on Thursday May 19! The first 11 weeks will be Chapters 1-3, which will have appeared on ACT-I-VATE, but for those who haven't it'll be all new!

In honor of this new thing, we'll be doing a bunch of quizzes and contests and whatnot, with a chance for fans to win prizes like signed books and prints, and even some original art! The best way to keep up with us will be on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/samandlilah) or Twitter (@samandlilah) for those who tweet, too.

What Jim didn't mention is that he's interviewed on the MTV site too - here and here.

Local cartoonist John Gallagher is starting a Kickstarter project (and I'll be contributing when I get home tonight) -

You have a chance to help publish an exciting new Graphic Novel Collection premiering in Baltimore!!! Via Kickstarter.Com-- The Comic Book Diner Project is a 3 book boxed set of graphic novels by Harvey Award nominees John Gallagher and Rich Faber, as well as Glyph and Yalsa nominee Jamar Nicholas. Featuring Buzzboy, Roboy Red, and Leon: Protector of the Playground, each book is 96 pages, full color, and part of a boxed set which will premiere in Baltimore at the Comic-Con that is truly about comics. Anyone ordering books through the funding program at Kickstarter will get signed books, sketches, and possibly original art-- some backers can even get DRAWN INTO A STORY! Anyone who decides to pick up the books at the Baltimore Comic-Con will get a one of a kind DVD with Jamar, Rich & John's Comic Book Diner podcast, as well as digital pdf's of the three books.

The other cartoonists who were considered are Steve Breen, Mike Luckovich, Glenn McCoy and Rob Rogers. Sadly, I think the 5 might be 1/10th of the full-time editorial cartoonists working in newspapers.

The occasional Monkey See I Will If You Will Book Club has reconvened to read Neil Gaiman'sThe Sandman: Dream Country. This week, we read "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the third of the four stories in the book. (And no, it's not a rendering of the Shakespeare play, exactly. Just read it. You'll see.)

Once again, I invited our comics blogger, Glen Weldon, to trade a few thoughts with me to kick things off. After that, you take over in the comments. Tell us what you think about faerie business, layers of reality, and why Glen is so mean about a perfectly nice movie about overwrought high school students. (Just kidding.) (OR AM I?)

To: Glen

From: Linda

So this is the story where we are getting most heavily into the idea of stories and dreams, to me. (I mean so far, in this book.) I have to admit that at first, I thought there was a little bit of a possible too-cute-for-its-own-good problem, in that it's already a play within a play, and now it's a play within a play within a larger story? It's a little Russian-nesting-dolls for me in principle, but I found that I adjusted.

And one of the reasons I adjusted was that I had no trouble at all distinguishing between the levels of reality because of the way the art is done — both because of the use of blue to signify the ... dream world, or whatever, the world of the spookypants business going on with the actual real faerie types, and because of the way the art depicting the play is ... hmm. I'd say the art is more ... straightforward? Less whimsical? When they're performing the play and you're basically just seeing a depiction of the Shakespeare, I'd call the art more narrative and less atmospheric, if that makes sense.

So I expected to be confused, but I mostly wasn't. I really enjoyed it, even though I wasn't sure I picked up every nuance, since I haven't studied much Shakespeare since high school. (Sad, but true.) This is also where I admit that whenever I read the closing Puck speech, I always think about Dead Poets Society, where that's the last thing Robert Sean Leonard does before he goes home and ... well, you know.

To: Linda

From: Glen

Well, technically the term is "spookybreeches" or "spookytights". But, yes.

Yeah, the art's much different — gone are Kelley Jones' heavy shadows and murk, replaced by Vess's lighter lines, airiness and twinkly bits of Faerie whatsit. And yes, Gaiman asked Vess to pull off a very difficult job — keeping the reader oriented through layers of narrative that make Inception look like Hop on Pop — and I'm glad you didn't get lost. I've met several folks over the years who had trouble following the action, but in most cases that was a result of what we've discussed before: the impulse of prose-oriented folks to simply hurl themselves from word-balloon to word-balloon without looking down, like they're running the Wipeout! gauntlet.

Of course, lots and lots of non-comics-readers have been handed this particular story by their comics-reading significant others, over the years. Coupla reasons for that: It was the first (and to date, only) comic to win a World Fantasy Award, which made quite a splash back in 1991. Also it's about Shakespeare.

And here's where I confess my ambivalence, not to the story itself, which is aces, but to a certain latent snootiness you can still hear among self-styled 'literary' types who'll give a comic a chance, but only grudgingly, and only if it's about something they deem worthy. "THIS comic is DIFFERENT. It's LITERATURE. It's about SHAKESPEARE." (See also: "The only time I regret not owning a television is when I hear IFC's showing a 12-hour documentary about the history of snoods.") But that's a me thing. I'll get over it.

The "stories don't have to be real to be true" thing is another major theme, of course, and I like how the denizens of Faerie are all about gloss and glamour — making something real look different/more enticing is their standard operating procedure, after all — yet they can't get their heads around the human act of making up stories. And I like the fact that Shakespeare's deal with Dream is measurably less twisted and abusive than Madoc's deal with Calliope.

Also: Dead Poets Society is a treacly sap-fest of insufferable preciousness which attempts to push emotional buttons with its giant ham-fists.

Compleating Cul de Sac now available

Click on picture to buy it now

ComicsDC is a blog for information and events relating to cartoons, cartoonists and comics including comic books, webcomics, comic strips, political cartoons, animation and caricature in Washington, DC and its environs (roughly Baltimore, MD down to Richmond, VA). Press releases including store events are welcomed. Established 2006.

Matt Dembicki, feature writer

About Matt Dembicki

Matt Dembicki is a cartoonist workin' and livin' in the DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia area). He previously edited and contributed to the Eisner-nominated and Aesop Prize-winning 'Trickster' and the Harvey-nominated District Comics, which the Washington Post included in its top books of 2012. Matt's other comics projects include the nature-based graphic novels Xoc: The Journey of a Great White (Oni Press) and Mr. Big: A Tale of Pond Life (Sky Pony Press). Matt is a co-founder of the D.C. Conspiracy, a local comic creators collective that publishes the semi-annual free comics newspaper Magic Bullet.